Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia assumed the appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, IAF on 01 February 2026. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the Fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 11 June 1988.
The Air Officer is qualified on all variants of the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, Jaguar and Su-30 MKI. He has over 3200 hrs of accident/ incident-free flying. In a career spanning over three decades, the Air Officer has tenanted various Command and Staff appointments. He has commanded a MiG-27 Squadron, the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) and was Air Officer Commanding of a frontline base. He is a Fighter Strike Leader, an Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner (IRIE), has undergone the Advance Command & Staff Course in the UK and the National Defence College in Bangladesh. He has served as the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Japan and South Korea. He tenanted the appointment of Air Commodore, Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI), the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at Air HQ and Air Defence Commander, HQ WAC. Prior to taking over as AOC-in-C, EAC, he was Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ EAC.
In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded Vayu Sena Medal (VM) in 2008 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2018.
Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia succeeds Air Marshal Surat Singh, who superannuated on 31 January 2026, after 39 years of distinguished and devoted service to the nation.
AIR MARSHAL DEVENDRA P. HIRANI ASSUMES CHARGE AS SENIOR AIR STAFF OFFICER , EASTERN AIR COMMAND
Air Marshal Devendra P. Hirani assumed the appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Headquarters Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force on 01 February 2026.
He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on 15 December 1990. A Qualified Flying Instructor, Air Marshal Hirani has approximately 5,000 hours of flying experience on various helicopters and trainer aircraft. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence Management, and the National Defence College, Dhaka (Bangladesh).
During his distinguished career, he has commanded a training unit and key frontline air bases in the Northern Sector. He has also held important staff appointments at HQ Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), Air Headquarters, Command Headquarters, and HQ AOC (Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh). Additionally, he has served as a DASI Inspector.
Air Marshal Hirani was deputed to the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Personnel – Airmen & Civilians).
In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2015 and the Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) in 2022.
